The Ukraine War Could Get Even More Intense: Russia could mobilize another 300,000 troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned, adding that the Kremlin will likely hold off on any further major mobilizations until after its parliamentary elections take place September 18 to 20.
But signs suggest Russia is preparing for the possibility.
T-14 Armata. Image Credit: Russian State Media.
T-14 Armata Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russia is Already Preparing
According to The Wall Street Journal, Western intelligence officials believe that military authorities have already carried out readiness exercises across Russia to test their ability to house, equip, and absorb large numbers of new recruits.
This major call-up would arrive around four years after Vladimir Putin ordered 300,000 reservists to be mobilized in September 2022.
The move, like many such mobilization requests in recent history, has prompted major backlash and caused hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee abroad.
Remote Russian Regions Could Be Focus for Call-Ups
Zelensky told reporters that he expects the next mobilization to fall disproportionately on Russia’s more remote regions rather than Moscow and other major cities.
“We believe it will not take place in the central cities,” he said.
Zelensky also suggested the 300,000 figure may not be the end of the Kremlin’s manpower drive.
He said Russia could bring the cumulative number of additional recruits to around 500,000 in 2027 as Putin continues to pursue his central battlefield objective: capturing the remainder of the Donbas.
Russia currently controls roughly 80% of the region, according to an August 23 assessment from the Institute for the Study of War. Ukraine still holds the heavily defended cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, as well as territory around the so-called “Fortress Belt,” which also includes Kostiantynivka.
Russian forces have recently advanced east of Slovyansk and are attempting to secure positions that could support a future assault on the city.
The Institute for the Study of War said, however, that Russia remains “highly unlikely” to capture the whole Donbas by the end of 2026.
According to Zelensky, Putin has ordered his military to finish taking Donetsk by December 31.
The pressure to find more troops comes amid exceptionally high Russian battlefield losses, although precise casualty figures are impossible to establish independently.
Zelensky claimed Russia has lost 267,000 personnel since the beginning of 2026, including approximately 155,000 killed.
The heaviest losses, according to Zelensky, have come around Kostiantynivka.
ISW cited the Ukrainian president as saying approximately 70% to 80% of Russia’s losses are occurring in that direction as Moscow tries to penetrate the defensive belt protecting the remaining major Ukrainian-held cities in Donetsk.
Zelensky was, however, rather dismissive of Russia’s chances of succeeding in another mass call-up.
“They’ll lose all 300,000 of these newly mobilized Russians there; we’ll wipe them out,” he said, according to CNN.
Russia’s tactic in this war, and many conflicts before it, has been to utilize its large population by accepting high casualties to maintain its positions.
The call-up in September 2022 prompted sold-out flights and a colossal surge in border traffic.
Since then, Moscow has leaned heavily on pricey military contracts and recruitment drives in specific regions of the country.
In 2022, some 80% of men of military age in Donetsk and Luhansk were called up.
There is also a trend of men from poorer regions signing up for the military because of large bonuses and salaries on contracts that amounted to multiple years of local wages.
Families and spouses are also offered substantial payouts if soldiers are killed in the war.
This has led to the phenomenon of so-called “Black Widow” wives who marry Russian military recruits in order to financially gain from the fees paid out upon their death on the battlefield.
500K Russians Killed Already
Around half a million (500,000) Russians are thought to have already been killed since the launch of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Zelensky also said Moscow is working toward the capacity to produce roughly 1,300 ballistic missiles a year.
At the same time, Ukraine expects to receive only 264 Patriot interceptors this year, down from 364 in 2025 and 675 in 2023.
Britain announced Monday that it will allow MBDA to provide Ukraine with the classified information needed to pursue domestic production of SCALP long-range missiles, while European governments discuss further air-defense support.
According to Sky News, Kyiv is concerned that these missile-production efforts will take much longer to make an impact.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
